Display-rack.



E. D. HARDING. DISPLAY RACK.

APPLICATION FILED 1330.7,1906.

PATENTED APR. 30. 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

THE NORRIS FETIIIS cc., v/Asumu'mM u. c,

ELMON D. HARDING, OF MONTEVIDEO, MINNESOTA.

DISPLAY-RACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 30, 19107.

Application filed December 7,1906. Serial No. 346.697.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELMoN D. lhuunno, a citizen of the United States, residing at Montevideo, in the county of Chippewa, State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Display- Racks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and. exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to display racks, and more particularly to that class which are designed for use in displaying rugs, art

squares, and the like, the object of the invention being to provide a display rack of this class of such construe tion that a number of rugs or art squares may be supported thereby and in such a manner that they may be moved from one portion of the room in which the rack is located, to another portion.

Broadly stated, the device comprises a plurality of article supporting members which are carried by hangers including pulleys which travel upon a track, the articlesupporting members being swiveled to the pulley hangers so that a rug or the like supported thereby may be displayed in various positions.

My invention includes among other fea tures, a novel means for supporting the brackets for the track and also a novel means for clamping the rugs or art squares to their supporting members.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of the display rack em bodied in my invention, in use. Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof, in detail. Fig. 3 is a side elevation in detail of one end of the rug-supporting member showing the clamping means in side elevation also. Fig. 4 is a sectional view, in detail, on the line 4i of Fig. 3, showing the means for connecting the clamping devices to the rug-supporting member, and, Fig. 5 is a detail vertical sectional view on the line 5--5 of Fig. 2 showing .the means for supporting the arms to which the track is connected.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the numeral 6 denotes the ceiling from which my display rack is suspended and upon which are secured the brackets which support the track-supporting arms. Each of these brackets comprises a plurality of bracket arms which are indicated by the numeral 7 and are preferably four in number.

Each of the arms has its upper end turned outwardly as at S to permit 01 attachment of the arm to the ceiling and the lower end of each arm is turned inwardly as at 9 and provided with an opening 10 f n a purpose to be hereinafter described. The arms 7 are so arranged upon the ceiling that they project downwardly therefrom at an angle thereto and inwardly toward each other with their inturned ends 9 overlapping one another and their openings in registration.

The track-supporting arms for the display device are indicated by the numeral 11 and are provided a short distance illOlll their upper ends each with a collar 12, that portion of each arm above the collar being engaged through the openings 10 in the inturned lower ends 9 of the arms 7 with the said collar abutting the under side of the lowermost end 9. A washer 13 is engaged upon the said upper end portion'o'l' each arm and rests upon the upper face oi the uppermost end portion 9, there being a pin 14 engaged through each arm above the said washer 13 thereon.

From the above description it will be observed that the combined thickness of all of the portions 9 together with the collar 12 and the washer 13, serves to hold the arms 11 rigid and securely in position. The lower end portion of each arm 11 is bent laterally and upwardly as at 15 and the extreme upper end of the upwardly bent portion of each arm is bifurcated as at 16 for the reception of a track 17, the said track being held securely in the bifurcation by means of a set screw 18 which is engaged through one of the spaced portions formed by the bifurcation and bears against the track.

The hanger in which the pulley is journalcd, which is designed to travel upon the track 17, comprises a strip of sheet metal 19 which has its upper end portion bent over upon itself as at 20 for the reception oi" the pulley which is ournaled therein and is indi cated by the numeral 21. The lower end portion of the bracket is bent inwardly at right angles as at 22 and thence upwardly as at 23, the portion 22 being provided with an opening for the reception of the shank of a swivel 24, the head of the swivel being located between the portion 23 and the opposite portion of the hanger.

The shank 24 of the swivel is forked as at 25 and the ends of the forked portion are turned laterally as at 26 and secured ,by

means of bolts 27 to a bar 28 which forms the main portion of the rug-supporting member of the device.

The bar 28 is provided at corresponding points in its opposite side with recesses 29 and formed through the bar directly above the recesses is a passage 30 for the reception of a bolt 3 1 which is provided with screw-threaded end portions upon which are engaged nuts 32 which seat in recesses 33 formed in the said side of the bar 28. Clamping blocks 34 are also provided with passages for the reception of the threaded ends of the bolt 31 and e11- gaged upon the said threaded ends of the bolt and outwardly of the blocks are nuts 35 which serve to clamp the blocks upon the bar. Each of the blocks is provided with an enlargement 36 upon its inner face, which enlargement is adapted to seat in the recess 29 formed in the corresponding side of the bar 28. One edge of a rug or art square is adapted to be clamped within the recess by means of one of the blocks and it will be understood that by reason of the fact that two blocks are employed, two rugs or art squares may be supported from each bar.

It will furthermore be seen from the foregoing description that one or both of the blocks may be loosened for the insertion of a rug or entirely removed without any danger of the'bolt 31 becoming disengaged from the bar and, in addition to this desirable feature, the rug is only clamped in two or three places and it is not curled up the entire length of one edge as is usually the case in display racks of this class now on the market.

It will be understood, of course, that where it is desired to have the track curved,

connection of the track-supporting arm with its supporting brackets is sufiiciently loose to permit the arm to be turned to the proper position.

' What is claimed is 1. A device of the class described comprising a bracket comprising a plurality of arms secured at their upper ends to a support, the lower ends of the arms being arranged to overlap and being provided with registering of the arms being overlapped and being provided with registering openings, track- 60 supporting arms having portions engaged through the openings, a collar formed on each arm beneath the said lower ends of the bracket arms, a pin engaged through each bracket-supporting arm above the said lower 65 ends of the bracket arms, a track supported by the track-supporting arms, a hanger supported by the track for travel thereon, and an article-supporting member carried by the hanger.

In testimony whereof, I alliX my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

ELMON D. HARDING. l/Vitnesses:

C. D. BENSEL, R. E. TAYLOR. 

